


Off the Map

by amythis



Series: Laverne & Lenny: From Me to You [3]
Category: Laverne & Shirley (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-04 17:41:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10284737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amythis/pseuds/amythis
Summary: When Laverne loses her job, she's in unmapped territory.  Is Lenny the guide she needs or will he lead her astray?





	1. Shotz Gone Wedding?

"So tell me about your big promotion," Lenny said with a smile.

Laverne burst into tears.

"Hey, I know it's lonely at the top, but you've got me."

Yeah, she did, for the past six months. Well, before that for years, even when she thought she didn't want or need him. But for six months he had been her boyfriend.

Pop didn't know. He and Edna had moved out to California before Laverne got up the nerve to tell him. And she knew he would worry. It was bad enough having Shirley act like a worried mother.

Dating Lenny was sort of like being friends with him but obviously more physical. They still played baseball together, still went to monster movies, still teased and played with each other in the little-kid way they had. But now there was grown-up teasing and playing, too. And the bases weren't just on the diamond, although they rarely got enough privacy to go back to third, the base they'd reached at the beginning. And this all scared and excited her more than a Godzilla movie.

Lenny loved her. He always had. She knew that now. She loved him, as more than a friend, less than a wife. Her emotions weren't as obvious as his, including to herself.

Sometimes she wondered what was wrong with her, that she didn't know after six months of dating, and years of friendship. Shirley had advised her to take it slow physically so that she could think clearly, but Laverne didn't think she could really know what she thought and how she felt about Lenny until they went all the way. Maybe not even then.

Most of the time, she tried not to worry about all this. She wanted to enjoy her time with Lenny, not let dating change things too much. And now she had something else, something bigger, to worry about.

"They fired me! Me and Shirley!"

"What? But you girls are the best bottle-cappers! And you've got senilority."

Laverne wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "They've got this new machine. So they fired all the bottle-cappers."

"Animatronics?"

"No, Len, automation."

"Right. Come here." He held out his arms and she went into them.

It had always been good to be held by him. "Arms that long to hold you," as he liked to sing in the closest thing they had to an "our song," the Beatles' "From Me to You." Even when they were just friends, he gave the best hugs, especially when she was upset. He was tall and his arms were long and she felt sheltered and protected in a way that she was usually too tough and independent to admit she wanted. Now that they were a couple, she'd listen to his "heart that's oh so true." It soothed her, even when it beat fast.

He stroked her hair. "It'll be OK, Laverne. You'll find another job."

"Oh yeah, there are tons of bottle-capping jobs out there."

"Well, this is Milwaukee, the Nation's Beer-Monger."

"Yeah, and all the other breweries are probably switching over to machines."

"So find a job doing something else."

"How? I was there eight years and I don't know nothing else. And I don't got a college education."

"Me and Squiggy don't either and we do OK."

"Yeah, but you guys are drivers, you can get a job anywhere."

"You want me to teach you how to drive a truck?"

"Thanks, Len, maybe if I get desperate enough."

"All right. And, um, Laverne, maybe you don't have to get another job."

"Yeah, I'll just live off my inheritance money."

"No, I mean, well, we could get married and I'll support you."

She pulled away. "No."

"Come on, Laverne, you know I love you and I'll take good care of you. And we could finally constipate our relationship."

"You make it sound so tempting."

"Yeah?" he asked hopefully.

"No. I don't want to marry you until I know if I'm in love with you."

"So you've thought about it?"

She had, sometimes. When she tried to look down the road, wondering what their future might be. But she definitely wasn't ready. "Lenny, me marrying you now wouldn't be any better than when I thought I might be pregnant. If I ever marry someone, it won't be because I'm in some kind of trouble."

"OK." He turned away and went over to the bunk beds. He hopped onto the top bunk and then lay down and rolled to face the wall.

"What, you're gonna sulk now? I'm the one who lost a job!"

"Laverne, you really confuse me sometimes."

"I'm sorry. I confuse me, too."

"Yeah? Well, you confuse me because I don't know what you want from me."

"I don't always know that either."

"Well, let me know when you figure it out."

She hesitated and then walked over to the beds. "I want you to hold me."

"I was holding you and that didn't seem to make you happy."

"Because you wanted to give me something I'm not ready for."

He rolled over to face her. "Laverne, I want to make you feel better, but you have to tell me how."

"I told you." She climbed up onto his bunk. "I want you to hold me."

"Laverne?"

She lay down and snuggled up against him. "Just like this."

"OK," he said quietly. And then he stroked her hair. "Does this help?"

"Uh huh."

They lay there quietly in each other's arms. And then he kissed her cheek and said, "It will be OK, Laverne."

"I hope so." She kissed his cheek.

And then their lips met, in a soft gentle little kiss. His lips were warm as always, which had been especially nice when they got together in the winter.

It was summer now and a little too hot for snuggling like this. Or maybe that wasn't just the weather.

Without discussing it, they stripped off their T-shirts, so that her bra touched his bare chest. Their kisses got deeper and longer. And then he unhooked her bra and caressed her breasts.

"Mmm, Laverne!"

"Oh, Lenny! Uh, where's Squiggy?"

"Out on a date. Her place."

"Good." She hoped Squiggy got lucky or at least was out for hours.

"Yeah." Their bodies were pressed together, lying down, which was rare for them. Most of their makeouts had to be sitting up. And this was their first time in a bed together, although she had invited him to her bed the morning after this all started.

He kissed her neck and she blew in his ear as he gently pinched her nipples.

"Oh, Len!" she whispered in his ear.

"Laverne, Laverne!" he moaned.

She knew he was hard. She would've known that even if she hadn't felt his erection through their jeans. She shifted so their crotches lined up better.

"OH GOD!"

"Len, don't come yet!"

"I'm not, but that feels indelible!"

She assumed he meant "incredible," although she could never be too sure with him. "You want to take off your jeans?"

"Yes!" He thrashed around as he struggled out of them lying down. She wanted to laugh but she was flattered by his enthusiasm.

This time he was wearing boxers, rather than briefs. There was definitely enough room for her hand to slip inside.

"God, Laverne!"

"Does that feel good?"

"Yeah, but I'm supposed to be making you feel good."

"Oh, well, then I'll take off my jeans." She did some wriggling and thrashing herself. This was tricky lying down on a bunk bed.

Lenny helped her take off her panties though. He wouldn't let her play with him anymore right then. "Ladies first." Only Lenny could see her as a lady at a time like this.

He vibrated her button as his long fingers traveled into her folds. She bit his neck to keep from shouting her pleasure. Squiggy might tease about the hickey later but Laverne didn't care right then.

"You're so passionate, Laverne!"

"So! Are! You!"

"Yeah? I'm trying to hold back."

"This is you holding back?"

"Well, sort of. I mean, once you start playing with me...."

She put her hand back in his boxers. "Yeah?"

"Whoa! That wasn't a suggestion."

"You're so big and hard right now," she crooned.

"Well, you're wet and open."

"I know. I bet we'd fit together real nice."

"Laverne!" He sounded almost shocked.

"It would cheer me up."

"So you'll go to home plate with me when you're in trouble but you won't marry me?"

"Are you sayin' you don't wanna?"

"Of course I wanna, Laverne. Gee whiz, I've got expectorating condiments in my drawers!"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"From our trip to the drugstore six months ago, remember? You were afraid to go in there with me so you waited outside holding the groceries from the other store."

"You still got 'em? The condim— I mean the rubbers."

"No, I've been using one a night on strange women."

"Very funny."

"I was afraid they'd go bad, like sour milk."

"They last longer than that. So I've heard."

"You want me to get one so we could check?"

She grinned. "Bring the whole box."

"Well, aren't you the greedy little manx?"

She assumed he meant "minx." "You told me when we first got together that we could do it maybe two or three times in one night. I'm calling your bluff."

He blushed. "OK." He hopped out of bed and went to a dresser. He rummaged around the back of one of the drawers. "I hope Squiggy hasn't raided my stash."

"Would he do that?"

"He's my best friend and we share everything. Well, almost." He smiled at her as he turned and held up the unopened box of what he'd six months ago called "profile-addicts."

"Well, this is something for the two of us to share," she said, smiling back.

He tossed the box to her and she caught it. Then he climbed back into bed but this time he lay on top of her, just his stretched-out boxers between them. She dropped the box next to her as she put her hands on his back.

They kissed and necked and rubbed together. Her legs spread to feel his hardness between them. It was exciting and frustrating. She'd sort of been here before, the everything-but, with him and other guys. But this time she would forget the warnings of Shirley and her father and everyone else about guys wanting only one thing. She only wanted one thing right then, Lenny's thing.

"Laverne," Lenny shyly whispered, "I don't know how to say this."

"You're losing respect for me." She was joking but not.

"You kiddin'? I respect you more than ever. And that's why I've got a couple favors to ask."

"Yeah?" She hoped it was nothing too twisted. After all, he'd been under Squiggy's influence since kindergarten.

"Yeah. First, can you help me put the safe on?"

"Oh, sure."

"Thanks."

He rolled towards the wall again, but this time it was to roll off her. He wriggled out of his boxers as she opened up the box and took out a rubber.

"You gotta face me."

"Well, I know that much, Laverne. What kind of idiot do you think I am?"

She didn't think he was any kind of idiot. He had his own kind of intelligence, although it took awhile to understand. Maybe she was the idiot. She sat up and asked, "Have you ever worn one before?"

"Well, no." He rolled to face her again. "They make good water balloons though."

"Yeah, we can have a fight with them later."

He chuckled. "I love how we can have all kinds of fun together."

"Me, too," she admitted.

"But I bet this will be the best kind of fun."

"I hope so." She carefully unrolled a condom down onto his hardness, Lenny watching intently and biting his lower lip. "There ya go."

"Thanks, Laverne."

"What was the other favor?"

"Can you tell me what to do?"

"You mean the whole thing?"

"Well, don't tell no one but I'm, you know."

"You've never voe-dee-oh-doe-doed?"

"I've voe-dee-ohed. And maybe voe-dee-oh-doed. I'm not sure."

"Yeah, me, too."

"Should we go buy a marriage mañuel?"  


"We'll figure it out."


	2. It

“Can you put it in, Laverne?” Lenny asked as he lay on top of her, both of them naked.

“Sure.” She wrapped one hand around his member and carefully moved it into position. Despite her calm tone, she was as nervous and excited as he was. This was a big deal, for them as a couple and as individuals. Although they’d done a lot, been through a lot, she knew things were never going to be the same between them after this. Whether it was good, bad, or so-so, it was going to make a difference.

She got him at the opening and then spread her legs more.

“God, Laverne!” he gasped as he sank into her, helped by gravity.

She bit her lip.

“Am I hurting you?”

“No, it’s just a little uncomfortable. Let me get used to it before you move around more.”

“OK,” he gulped.

She’d lost her cherry years ago, from fingering by herself and, well, Fonzie. She was tempted to go all the way, but crazy as she was about the Fonz, she didn’t want her first time to be with someone who’d been with so many girls. She wanted something more special. So he took a rain check and said, “Call me when you’re ready for me.” And then he’d pleasured her with his hand. He wanted a handjob in return, but that was OK. She’d given a couple of those by then and she felt like the Fonz had earned it.

She was glad she didn’t have a cherry anymore. After a day like she’d had, bleeding on the top bunk and probably panicking Lenny wouldn’t have cheered either of them up.

She silently scolded herself for thinking about that. She instead tried to think about French-kissing with Lenny and the way he played with her breasts, sometimes sucking them when they were having a very second-base-centered date. She also thought about how he fingered her, just as good as, maybe better than the Fonz, though less experienced. The Fonz, she had to admit, was always a little in love with himself, very different from Lenny, who was so focused on her and what she wanted.

“I’m really inside you!” Lenny marveled.

“Yeah. You are. You fill me up real good.”

“Oh, Laverne!” He gave a quick thrust, startling her. “Sorry.”

“It’s OK, but hold still again.” This time she moved underneath him, greeting his thing again and again.

“LAVERNE!!”

“Just a little more.”

“Do it all night! I don’t mind.”

She chuckled. “You’ll get to play, too. I’m just getting used to it.”

“I’ll never get used to how great you are.”

He was so sweet. She kissed his chest.

“Mmmm!”

She teased his nipples with her tongue. For boy-nipples, they were pretty sensitive. She was apparently driving him crazy, because he started thrusting again. This time she was more ready for him, sometimes lying there feeling him hump her, and sometimes humping back.

“Oh, Laverne, Laverne!” No one else could say her name like he could, as if she was the only girl in the world, well, the only one that mattered.

And then he came, quick and sudden. “Um, sorry.”

“It’s OK.” She’d had the feeling he wouldn’t last long. He’d been waiting for her a very long time, in some ways probably since high school.

“You didn’t come, did you?”

“No, but it’s OK. I did before.”

“I wanted you to come from this.”

She kissed his chest again, softly this time. Then she hugged him tightly. “Maybe next time.” Then she teased, “You owe me one or two more times tonight, right?”

“Let me rest,” he said. He tried to withdraw and she tried to let go of him with her arms and legs. But her peach suddenly clenched his banana, as if not ready to see it leave.

“Laverne!”

“Sorry, you feel good in there and I guess I’m not ready to let you go.”

“I know but I don’t want the rubber to come off inside you.”

“OK.” She unclenched and he slid out.

Then he rolled off her but immediately snuggled up. “It was so good, Laverne!”

“Yeah?”

“You didn’t like it?”

“No, I did, but it’s different for me.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He kissed her cheek. “I want to hold you for awhile.”

“I’d like that.”

So they held each other lying down again.

“I’ve wanted you so bad for so long,” he murmured.

“Yeah? Did it live up to your fantasies?”

“Yeah. Different but better.”

“Good.”

“Was it like you thought it’d be?”

“Kinda. I’m not sure yet.”

“We need to practice it more. I mean if you still wanna do it.”

“Of course I do.”

He smiled. “Good.”

“And, well, maybe I should go on the Pill. I mean once I have another job and can pay for a doctor.”

“I could pay for it.”

“No, you don’t have to.”

“But it would make it easier to be spontraneous.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we’re just getting started and we’ve got plenty of time to figure things out.”

She hoped he was right. She couldn’t see too far into the future, especially with the shock of losing her long-term job. But she hoped they would be together for a long time.

She kissed him and that led to necking. Then he scooted down so that his legs dangled in the air and his mouth landed on her chest. He kissed her cleavage and back and forth up the sides of her breasts, till he sucked one nipple and then the next. One hand wandered between her legs, teasing her button as two fingers thrust in and out of her folds. She came of course. She wished home plate was as easy as third base.

“You’re so sexy, Laverne,” he said looking up at her face.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You made me hard again.”

She smiled. “Good.”

This time they put the rubber on together. And when she spread her legs, she wrapped her calves around him, this time putting pressure on his bottom.

“Am I too deep?” he worried.

“No,” she moaned. She could really feel him this time. She would let the pressure up so he could thrust more but sometimes she had to drive him deep into her again.

“GOD, LAVERNE!!” Lenny cried as the bunks began to creak and squeak. She hoped the contraption wouldn’t break down, because that would be very embarrassing to explain to Squiggy. And she was glad that the dumbwaiter was closed in this apartment, because she wouldn’t want Shirley to hear any of this.

Lenny slipped his hand between them so that he could wiggle her button when his crotch wasn’t pressing against it. And this time she came.

“OH, LENNY, SO GOOD!!” she almost sobbed, at the release, at the sweetness of him, at the way their bodies responded to each other even when their minds didn’t completely connect.

“YESYESYES!!!” he shouted as he came. Then he dipped his head enough to kiss all over her face and neck. “You’re so sweet!”

“No, you’re sweet.” They were on the border of sounding like one of those nauseating lovey-dovey couples, the kind that say things like, “No, I love you more.”

“I want to stay in here all night,” he murmured.

“I do have to go home sometime.”

He yawned. “Yeah, I gotta go to work tomorrow.” She winced and he said, “Oh, Jeez, sorry, Laverne.”

“It’s OK.” She made her body let go of his. It was only when he was lying next to her again that she realized how sweaty they were, and not just because it was a summer evening. “Do you mind if I take a shower?”

He grinned. “If I can take it with you.”

She hesitated but said, “Well, it is your water bill.”

They didn’t fool around much. They were both physically tired and emotionally drained. They were tender and affectionate, kissing and caressing, but not going below the waist.

“We should do this again when I’m not flaxen,” Lenny said looking down at his crotch.

She smiled. She knew he meant “flaccid,” but he was definitely a natural blond.

She was tempted to stay over longer, but they didn’t know when Squiggy would be back. Also, she needed time sort of by herself. Shirley would probably be home, unless she was getting less naughty comfort out somewhere with Carmine.

Laverne hoped to have a chance to think over what this all meant. She’d had two big losses in one day. The job could be replaced and her virginity was only technical after all, but she couldn’t pretend that neither mattered. As for work, she didn’t know what she’d do but maybe Shirley would have some suggestions. The two of them had gone through almost everything for years and years, and Laverne sort of assumed that they’d find a new job together.

Would she tell Shirley about hitting a home run with Lenny? Probably not. Shirley wouldn’t approve, even if it had been with a doctor or a lawyer, rather than one of their weird upstairs neighbors. But if Shirley asked directly, well, Laverne would probably tell her the basics, sparing the details.

Laverne turned off the water. “Are you gonna tell Squiggy?”

“He thinks we already did it.”

“Oh, he does, does he?”

“I said I didn’t want to kiss and tell, so he figured that meant I was trying to protect your reputation.”

“Oh.”

“And I figured that if I told him the truth and then if we ever did it later, he might expect me to tell him that.”

“I thought you guys share everything,” she teased.

“Are you gonna tell Shirley?”

“Yeah, she’ll be so jealous!”

It took him a moment to tell she was joking, and then he giggled in the way that had grown on her over time.

She kissed his cheek. “She doesn’t know what she’s missing, but I’ll let her think it’s worth waiting for marriage.”

“Laverne, have you reconsidered—?”

“Don’t spoil it, Len.”


	3. Rocky Road

“Laverne, I need to talk to you.”

“Yeah? About what?”

“About the future.”

Laverne sighed. “OK, I know what you’re gonna say.”

“You do? Well, what do you think? Is it a good idea?”

“Well, I guess it depends on how you look at it.”

“I know, but if nothing else, the climate would be wonderful.”

“Huh?”

“OK, it’s probably even hotter than here right now, but think about how nice it’ll be to not have snow in the wintertime.”

“Snow.”

“Yes. And maybe we could stay with your father and Edna till we’re on our feet. Or maybe we could have a rummage sale, and at least raise enough money to pay for the bus out there.”

“Bus?”

“Well, I think the train would be too expensive, and a plane certainly would be.”

Laverne’s mind didn’t feel too sharp after going all the way, but it was gradually sinking in that Shirley was talking about them moving. “You really wanna go to California?”

“Yes, Laverne. I think we need a new start.”

“You’d leave Carmine?”

“Well, I wouldn’t be happy about it but maybe he could visit me over Christmas.”

“Yeah.” Laverne wondered if Lenny would visit her then. Christmas seemed a long way off though. Then she had an idea. “Hey, Shirl, as long as Lenny and Squiggy have two weeks’ vacation coming up, how about they drive us out there?”

“Lenny and Squiggy?”

“Yeah, they haven’t made up their minds where to take the road trip. And as long as they’re buying a car anyway, well, I bet they wouldn’t mind going to California.”

“Gee, I don’t know, Laverne. That’s a long time to be on the road with them.”

“Come on, it might be fun.”

“For you maybe.”

Laverne blushed a little and wondered if Shirley had guessed after all.

~~~

Shirley came around to the idea of the boys driving them. Her own use of the word “on the road” had made her see this as a grand adventure, “seeing the real America,” like she was back in her beatnik phase. She planned to write a poem per state.

“Nothing too corny for Iowa,” Lenny joked and then guffawed.

Laverne smiled, although it was a pretty bad pun.

The boys had bought an ice cream truck. It unfortunately didn’t come with any ice cream, and there was no air conditioning, so it wasn’t too comfortable. And it didn’t help that the four of them were crammed in there with the boys’ suitcases and what was left of the girls’ belongings. They’d made only $18 in the rummage sale, which wouldn’t even cover their four days’ of food during the journey. Laverne was going to borrow money from her father after they arrived, and then they could pay Lenny and Squiggy back, as well as get an apartment so they could apply for jobs locally.

Laverne insisted on taking the cardboard stand-up of the Beatles. It was her most recent personal possession. And of course Shirley brought Boo Boo Kitty.

“What rhymes with Milwaukee?” Shirley asked.

“Still talky,” Squiggy said automatically. They all looked at him. “What? None of you never got a rhyming dictionary for your bar mitzvah?”

Laverne stared at him more. “You’re Jewish?”

“No.”

She shook her head. Lenny’s craziness sort of made sense to her, but she knew she’d never really understand Squiggy.

~~~

They stayed in Des Moines, “rhymes with conjoins,” the first night. They got separate rooms, the two girls in one, the two guys in the other. Laverne would’ve liked a room with Lenny, but there was no way Squiggy would agree to paying for three rooms. Well, he probably would’ve wanted to share with Shirley, but there was no way she’d go for that.

“I’ll miss you, Laverne,” Lenny said between kisses on the doorstep of her room.

“I’ll miss you, too, Lenny,” she admitted. They hadn’t had a chance to be alone together since the night of their first time. Laverne had been too busy getting ready to move. She still hadn’t sorted out how she felt about him but she thought maybe doing it again would make her feelings clearer. And if not, it would at least be fun.

“Yeah? You wanna go for a drive?”

“I’d better not. We should both get some sleep. And you’ve been driving most of the day anyway.”

“I meant more like going for parking.”

“I know, Len.”

They finally said goodnight and then she went to bed. She wore pajamas as usual, but she had packed a Frederick’s of Hollywood number that she bought back when she had a steady job. It was sort of “bringing coils to Newcastle” as Lenny would say, taking it to California, but she had hoped for a chance to wear it for Lenny back in Milwaukee, and that moment never came. Maybe they could find a place to be alone in Burbank before he had to head back. Or maybe he would visit over Christmas.

They hadn’t talked about their future, what this move meant for them as a couple. Both of them were afraid to bring it up. Carmine had told Shirley he might save up to move out there, but he was a singer and a dancer, so he’d obviously fit right in near Hollywood. But Lenny? While Laverne had told him he could be a driver anywhere, she couldn’t see him leaving his best friend behind in Milwaukee, and it wasn’t like Squiggy had any reason, like a girlfriend or anything, to move west.

Sometimes Laverne thought that she’d never see Lenny again after a few days and other times she dropped her cynicism and daydreamed about him living nearby, or at least visiting as often as he could. 

Well, for now they had this road trip, even if they had to share it with Shirley and Squiggy.

~~~

The second night was spent in Sterling, which rhymed with a lot, Colorado, which Squiggy insisted rhymed with “avocado.” It really felt like they were Out West now, although California was still a couple days away.

Halfway through the trip, they were all starting to get on each other’s nerves. Shirley insisted on being the only one to read the map, since she was the only one who could fold it neatly, and she wouldn’t let them take detours to see roadside attractions. Lenny and Squiggy argued over whose turn it was to drive and for how long. Laverne tried to be the peacemaker but the three of them irritated her, too. She and Lenny mostly got along, but spending so much time together, and never truly alone, was making her even more irritable. She noticed his bad habits more than ever, and at the same time she wanted to be affectionate with him but felt self-conscious in front of Shirley and Squiggy. Shirley would be uncomfortable and Squiggy would mock them. He was probably jealous that he hadn’t, as he put it, “brought along a dame,” and Shirley didn’t respond to what he considered harmless flirtation with anything but scolding.

Also, the ice cream truck was even more uncomfortable than Laverne had imagined. Sometimes she wished that the boys had bought a camper, and then maybe they wouldn’t have had to stay in motels. Not that the motels were bad so far. They weren’t sleazy at least. They were cheap in the sense of the least expensive possible, but even so, the money was going faster than expected, as Squiggy kept reminding the girls.

So, even as Laverne necked with Lenny outside her motel room, where Shirley was probably waiting up for her again, Laverne was looking forward to escaping through sleep for the next eight or nine hours.

~~~

The next day, Squiggy got ahold of the map during a rest stop and he insisted on Lenny taking a detour in order to visit a mountain called Marys (no apostrophe) Nipple! Shirley was disgusted and Laverne tried to talk Lenny out of it, but he said, “Come on, Laverne, maybe they have postcards.”

It was just a mountain, a pretty mountain, but not a particularly sexy one. And they had to drive an hour back towards the route they were supposed to be on, Highway 70, so they could stay in Big Rock Candy Mountain Inn, which Laverne thought was an even more interesting name. Squiggy was driving now, so Lenny got out his guitar and the four of them sang the Burl Ives song, which smoothed over everyone’s irritability for the moment. 

This time, Lenny felt Laverne up under her halter top outside her hotel room.

~~~

It was Day Four when they took a much more important side-trip. Squiggy had heard from the manager of the BRCM Inn that there was an ice cream wholesale distributor somewhere in the Southern tip of Nevada. Either his directions were unclear or Squiggy had misunderstood them, because instead of being an hour off Highway 15, they seemed to wander in the desert for forty years.

Shirley kept insisting that they get back on the main road, while Squiggy kept insisting that they could buy the ice cream cheap and sell high since it was so hot out there. And Lenny would tell them both to shut up while he was driving. Laverne silently wished they would quit talking about the heat and ice cream, because riding around in an ice cream truck trying to find ice cream was like taking a road trip with her boyfriend and not getting past second base.

Just when even Squiggy seemed about to give up hope, the Nice Cream Wholesalers building loomed up out of nowhere on the flat horizon. Squiggy paid what seemed like a lot of money to Laverne but she’d lost her job and didn’t feel she was in a position to give business advice. And Shirley seemed relieved that they would finally get on with their journey to California, as soon as they were back on the map.

Lenny didn’t say much after Squiggy shouted, “Are you crazy? You can’t eat into our profits!” in answer to Lenny’s request for a double-scoop cone.

And Laverne wondered how she’d stand another day of this, considering the chances of getting to California that night were increasingly slim.


	4. Sweat and Sweetness

Laverne waited till she was sure Shirley was asleep and then she snuck out of bed, got her suitcase, and slipped into the bathroom.

She and Shirley were sharing a bed, with the boys in the other. They’d sort of found their way back to civilization, in the tiny desert town of Royal Cactus, Nevada. Well, there was a motel at least. The guys didn’t have enough money left to pay for two rooms, or so Squiggy said. He did offer to pay for another room in ice cream, but the manager wouldn’t take it.

And then Lenny said, “Gee, that’s too bad because my lovely wife Laverne and I were hoping to have a room to ourselves.”

Laverne did her best not to stare at him.

Then Squiggy said, “As would I and my beauticianly wife Shirley, Shirley Squiggman that is.”

Shirley looked aghast but Laverne decided to go along with the scheme. She put her hand on Lenny’s arm and said, “It’s OK, Sweetie, it’s just for one night.”

“Yes, we all have to make sacrifices,” Squiggy said, putting his arm around Shirley. “Isn’t that right, Sugar Duckling?”

Shirley looked like a martyr, but she must’ve known she was trapped because she said, through gritted teeth, “Of course, Dear.”

So Laverne was in a hotel room with Lenny but in a different bed. And it was driving her crazy to be so close and yet so far from her boyfriend. She decided it was time to break out the Frederick’s of Hollywood number. It was a black teddy with a black peignoir. She put her bathrobe on over that, in case Shirley or Squiggy woke up at the wrong moment. Also, she wanted to surprise Lenny a little.

She closed the suitcase, shut off the bathroom light, opened the door, set down the suitcase by the dresser, and tiptoed over to the boys’ bed. Then she knelt beside the side Lenny was on, closest to the front door. She leaned in and blew in his ear.

“Cut it out, Squig,” Lenny mumbled. “I’m tryin’ to sleep!” Laverne leaned back and decided she should go change out of her outfit. But then Lenny opened his eyes and whispered, “I’m just jokin’, Laverne. I’d know your breath anywhere.”

“Oh.” She leaned in again and whispered in his ear in her most seductive voice, “Would you like to join me in a midnight snack?”

“I don’t think anyplace is open this late.”

She sighed. “I was thinkin’ of, well, ice cream.”

“Oh! Yeah, sure. As long as Squiggy doesn’t find out.”

She hoped he understood that she was thinking more of the truck than its contents. Well, she’d make it clear to him out there. “Let’s go. And bring a blanket and pillow so we’re more comfortable.” She would’ve got hers, but Shirley was being a blanket hog, despite the hot night, and she’d also grabbed Laverne’s pillow while Laverne was in the bathroom. Maybe she wanted as many defenses against Squiggy as possible. Laverne didn’t worry about leaving them alone, especially since Squiggy was sleeping soundly.

“OK.” Lenny sat up and grabbed his pillow. Then he managed to take a blanket off the bed without waking up Squiggy.

Laverne and Lenny didn’t bother to put on their shoes. It was still pretty warm outside and the truck wasn’t too far off. She just hoped they wouldn’t step on broken glass or something.

They got into the back of the truck, and Laverne arranged the blanket and pillow as Lenny looked in the battery-powered freezer. “So whaddaya want, Laverne?”

She realized ice cream would be nice after all. “How about a Nutty Buddy?”

“Hey, you’ve already got me,” he said and guffawed.

“Cute.”

“Here ya go,” he said handing one over. “And I think I’ll have a King Cone.”

“Sounds good.”

At first they sat on the floor of the back of the truck and just ate the ice cream, but then they started getting flirty about it. They looked at each other as they licked and she started taking long, sensuous licks.

Lenny gulped. “Uh, you want some of my King Cone?”

“Uh huh.”

He held it out for her and she licked all around the top and then down the sides a little.

“Um, you sure like ice cream, Laverne.”

“Mm hm.”

“Oh, it’s starting to drip.”

“Do you wanna lick it off me?”

His eyes widened but he nodded enthusiastically. He licked the ice cream everywhere it fell on her face and neck. It tickled but she liked it. “Oh,” he noticed, “it’s getting on your robe.”

“Here, hold my Buddy while I take that off.”

He held both ice creams as she stripped off the robe and then the peignoir.

“Wow, Laverne!”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you.”

“I’ll take my Buddy back now.”

“Trade ya?”

“OK.” She took his Cone and licked it so that it dripped down her shoulders and into her cleavage.

Lenny gobbled her Buddy in between licking along the top of the teddy. Once his hands were free, he eased down the straps and licked her breasts, not caring if some of his Cone dripped down on his hair. And when she was done eating, he got whipped cream and chocolate sauce out of the freezer. It was cold on her bare skin, but Lenny soon warmed it up.

He’d always been crazy about kissing, especially about kissing her, but it was different tonight. Maybe it was the added flavors, or maybe it was being woken up in the middle of the night for this, so that it might’ve felt like a dream. In any case, he was increasingly uninhibited.

“I love the taste of your skin, Laverne!” he murmured between licks and kisses.

“Can you even taste me with all that junk on me?”

“Oh, yeah, I can taste you. You’re the sweetest flavor of all.”

“Oh, Len!”

And then he sucked her breasts as one of his hands went between her legs. The teddy had snaps near the crotch, but he soon figured out how to undo them without looking. Then his fingers went inside her. 

This time was different than ever before, because after awhile he dipped his fingers in chocolate sauce and then sucked on them alternately with her chest.

“So sweet!” he gasped.

And then, before Laverne could believe this was happening, Lenny moved his head between her legs. Laverne thought of a song from last summer: “…And then he kissed me. He kissed me in a way that I’ve never been kissed before. He kissed me in a way that I wanna be kissed forever more.” This probably wasn’t what the Crystals had in mind, but the sentiment captured how Laverne felt.

It wasn’t that she’d never heard of this before, but it wasn’t the kind of thing you could ask most guys for. And she’d never discussed it with Shirley, who she was sure would be disgusted by it, much more than by “normal sex.” But the way Lenny did it, well, it was naughty of course, but not nasty.

Lenny made it seem like affection and worship and heat and hunger all at once. Laverne let herself go in a makeout where she had the least to do, other than to try not to make too loud noises and to stroke and sometimes pull on Lenny’s hair.

Even after his lips and tongue were tasting more of her than toppings, he kept going, giving her three slow but sharp orgasms.

Then he looked up at her and said, “Let me rest a minute and then I’ll give you some more.”

She threw him the pillow and he caught it and put it under his head. “Mmm,” he said, staring up at the ceiling of the truck. “You taste even better when you come.”

This time she blushed as she said, “Thank you.” She was still getting used to how intimate intimacy was. She hated to think how this would be with someone she didn’t trust as much and wasn’t as comfortable with as Lenny.

Lenny closed his eyes and looked like he was happily dreaming. Laverne noticed the bulge in his pajamas, pointing towards the ceiling. Sometimes she liked half-boners even better than boners.

Then she looked over at the whipped cream can and the chocolate sauce bottle. She crawled over to where Lenny had set them down and she picked them up.

“LAVERNE!!” Lenny exclaimed, when he felt her hands on his crotch.

“Relax, Len, and keep your eyes shut.”

“Uh, OK.”

She tugged down his pajamas and then decorated his thing with toppings. He giggled, but she wasn’t sure if it was ticklishness, nervousness, or just the silliness of this kind of play. But he didn’t stop her.

She had done this for a few guys. Fonzie of course. Randy Carpenter the fireman, but she didn’t like to think about him. And one sleazy guy who had said, “Pretend it’s an ice cream cone.” She didn’t want to do it too often. She knew that it was the kind of thing that might get a girl labeled easy, even more than “normal sex,” although at least it had the advantage of no risk of pregnancy.

She suddenly realized that they hadn’t brought out any condoms for normal sex later. Well, she’d make Lenny come from this and then they could have regular sex next time.

She licked the whipped cream and chocolate sauce off Lenny, who bit his own hand. Maybe he was just trying to keep quiet, but it made her think of how, usually when he was girl-watching with Squiggy, he’d bite his hand to show lust. It bothered her much less in this situation.

She gagged when she tried to suck him, but adding toppings, including, yes, nuts, helped it go down much easier. He was fully hard now, pointing at his face when not aimed at hers.

He opened his eyes and took his hand out of his mouth to say, “God, Laverne, you’re the most amazing woman in the world!”

“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.”

He didn’t come as soon as during regular sex, but when he thrust into her mouth, apologizing for the depth, he came quickly. She was glad in a way, since her mouth was getting tired.

Then she lay next to him and asked, “Did you like it?”

“It was amazing! Can we do 99 next time?”

“Sixty-nine?”

“Yeah, that.”

“I’d like that.” She could picture sitting on his face as she licked and sucked him. And then she came just from the thought of it, a nice cozy little orgasm.

“Mmm, Laverne!”

“Oh, Lenny,” she sighed happily. She moved so she could lie next to him. They’d been maneuvering around what was left in the truck when they, Shirley, and Squiggy had taken their luggage into the motel room. (Well, Lenny’s luggage seemed to consist of matching grocery bags.) She hoped they hadn’t gotten toppings all over anything but themselves and the blanket. She glanced over at the Beatles and saw that they were still untouched.

She heard Lenny quietly singing, “I’ve got lips that long to kiss you and keep you satisfied.”

She kissed his cheek. “You sure do."

They snuggled up, despite how sticky they were with sweat and sweetness, and she decided going to retrieve the rubbers could wait a little while.


	5. Running Away

Laverne dreamed of waking up beside Lenny and then kissing him awake. Then they made love, not worrying about condoms or anything like that. Their bodies danced to ancient horizontal rhythms.

The reality was she woke up when the truck started. It took her a moment to realize where she was and who with. And then she whispered, “Wake up, Lenny! Someone’s stealing the truck!”

“Who’d steal an ice cream truck?” he mumbled, his eyes still shut.

Laverne threw her bathrobe back on and decided she’d have to confront the thieves herself, although presumably Lenny would wake up more if she really needed help. Maybe it was just punk kids. Well, not little kids. But teenagers old enough to drive. If you thought about it, stealing an ice cream truck made a lot of sense, especially in the hot desert.

She pushed back the curtains and peeked into the cab. She saw Squiggy driving, while Shirley was staring out the window on her side.

Squiggy’s eyes met Laverne's in the mirror and he said, “Hello. See, Shirl, I told you she was back there.”

“Oh, like I’m going to believe anything you say.”

Instead of replying to Shirley, Squiggy said, “Is Lenny back there, too?”

“Um, yeah.” Laverne wondered if Squiggy would pull over and if she should throw the blanket over Lenny’s naked lower half.

“Good. Then we don’t need to go back.”

“Uh, did you check out of the motel already?” She could see that the sun was up but not too high, although it was summer, so it could’ve been five a.m. for all she knew.

“Yeah, I wanted to get an early start.”

“Ha!” Shirley said.

Laverne looked over at Shirley again, but Shirley was still looking out the window and so Laverne couldn’t meet her eyes. Not that she was ready to face Shirley after the wild night, but she was worried about her friend. Something apparently had happened with Shirley and Squiggy but Laverne had the feeling neither of them was going to talk about it.

“Shirl? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Ha!”

“Gee whiz, I’m just askin’!” So Shirley was mad at her, too, not just Squiggy.

Shirley sighed. “Fine, since we’re obviously not going to have breakfast any time soon, I’ll have a Fudgsicle.”

“A Fudgicle! Woman, do you think I’m made out of money?”

“I don’t want to say what I think you’re made out of, Andrew.”

“Fine, eat up all the profits! See if I care.”

If he was going to get that upset about one little Fudgicle, Laverne hated to think how he’d react when he found out about the midnight feast she and Lenny had.

She dropped the curtains and went over to the freezer. Lenny woke up at the sound of the freezer door opening. He leered at her and asked, “Still hungry, Laverne?” She waved at him to be quiet. Then he said, “Is this truck moving? I mean not like last night, when we had it rockin’ pretty good.”

“Are you awake, Lenny?” Squiggy called from the cab.

Now Lenny really woke up. “Sort of, Squig!” he yelled back as he scrambled into his pajama bottoms.

“Well, you’re doing the driving as soon as we reach our first pit stop.”

“Uh, so you checked us out of the motel?”

“Yeah, your bags are up front. And Laverne’s suitcase.”

“Oh, thanks, Squig.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Ha!”

~~~

It wasn’t till they reached a gas station, and Shirley reluctantly agreed to go with Laverne while she freshened up in the restroom, that Laverne found out what happened. Shirley seemed both embarrassed and angry, so it was hard to get her to talk. But, as Laverne tried to bathe using the sink, Shirley handed her paper towels and eventually told her story.

“I can’t believe you left me alone with Squiggy!”

“I’m sorry, but he was asleep and he’s usually harmless.”

“Ha!”

“He wasn’t harmless?”

“You seem to think that, because you’ve got Lenny trained to only do what you want, Squiggy is the same.”

“I don’t got him trained.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, because you like it when Lenny touches you, and I don’t like it when Squiggy touches me.”

“He touched you?”

Then Shirley started weeping.

“Aww, Shirl, don’t cry!” Laverne went and got her some toilet paper.

“Thank you.” Her friend dabbed her eyes.

Laverne put her bathrobe back on. “Shirley, did he—?” Laverne didn’t want to say it in case it wasn’t as serious as she feared.

“No, but he tried to. Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Well, he woke me up because he said that he was cold sleeping alone with only one blanket.”

“Maybe he just wanted to snuggle.”

“Laverne, I’m not going to snuggle with Squiggy.”

“Well, no, I guess not.”

“And then he chased me around the room!”

“Maybe he was just playing.”

“Don’t be stupid, Laverne.”

“Sorry.”

“He said that since you and Lenny had disappeared, this was our chance to be alone. And he tried to grab me and kiss me, so I punched him in the stomach.”

“Well, good.”

Shirley shook her head. “It didn’t stop him. I was going to hit him with a lamp, but he took it away. So I smashed a painting over his head and he dropped the lamp.”

Laverne wanted to laugh but she knew this wasn’t at all funny to Shirley. And although Squiggy didn’t seem like much of a threat to Laverne, she knew he would’ve seemed very threatening to Shirley, alone in the middle of the night.

“Then I tried to call the police, but he grabbed the phone and threw it out the window!”

“Jesus!” This sounded extreme, even for Squiggy, and Laverne wasn’t amused anymore.

“Then I ran back to the bed and he jumped on and broke it! So I ran into the bathroom and locked the door!”

“Oh, Shirl.” Even if Shirley was mad at her, and Laverne couldn’t really blame her, they were still best friends, so she gave Shirley a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder.

“It was awful, Laverne! Luckily, by morning he was back to sanity. Well, for Squiggy I mean.”

“Do you, do you wanna press charges?”

“No, that would be so humiliating! You know how the girl gets blamed, even when she has a good reputation. And anyway, I fought him off, so it’s not like he really attacked me.”

“Yeah, but, Shirl, it still sounds rotten.”

“Yes,” Shirley said quietly. “But he agreed to still drive to California, and we agreed we wouldn’t talk about what happened. Except, I had to tell you, Vernie.”

“I’m glad you did. Now I can beat up Squiggy.”

“No, don’t, Laverne! It’ll only make the situation worse.”

“Worse? How could it be worse?”

“Well, he promised not to try anything like that again. Not that I really believe him, but I’ll probably be safe the rest of the trip. And we’ll get to California today, if we don’t get lost again. And you won’t ever leave me alone with him again, will you?”

“Of course not.” Laverne felt incredibly guilty. While she’d been having naughty fun with Lenny, Shirley had gone through this ordeal. No wonder she was in a hurry to leave the Royal Cactus Motel. And no wonder Squiggy didn’t want to linger either, although Laverne didn’t have any sympathy for him.

She would probably threaten him later, maybe before he and Lenny headed back to Milwaukee, but for now, she just wanted to get out of this crazy desert.

Laverne put on panties and jeans and then took off her bathrobe to put on a bra and a purple blouse. (She’d retrieved her suitcase from the front seat before dragging Shirley off to the restroom.) She would’ve normally thought about Lenny bathing in the men’s room and changing into fresh clothes, but such thoughts would’ve made her feel even guiltier right then.

The guys were coming out of the men’s room when the girls returned to the truck. Laverne overheard Squiggy say, “And that’s why you can’t go back and return the blanket and pillow.”

“Yeah, well, I guess it’s small change compared to the rest.”

Laverne wondered what Squiggy had told Lenny about last night. Would he actually admit what he’d done? Maybe he didn’t see anything wrong with it. After all, he’d done it without any hesitation. What if he boasted about it? Laverne felt like beating him up again.

It wasn’t till the next gas station, an hour across the California border, that Laverne had a chance to talk to Lenny, although afterwards she really wished she hadn’t. Shirley had gone to the ladies’ room and Squiggy to the men’s, he after insisting that Lenny and Laverne clean up the mess they’d made, as punishment for breaking into the supply of ice cream and toppings. It wasn’t like they were going through areas populated enough to want an ice cream man, but Squiggy was convinced that it was Lenny’s fault that they were losing money on this scheme.

Anyway, as soon as she and Lenny were alone, scrubbing down the inside of the back of the truck, Laverne asked, “Did Squiggy tell you what happened last night?”

“Yeah, but I don’t really blame her. I mean, she’s miles away from Carmine and it was a hot, sultry desert night. Look what it did to us!”

“What are you talking about?”

He blushed a little. “You know, what we did in here.”

“Not us. What are you sayin’ about Shirley?”

“Oh, well, I guess she was too embarrassed to tell you.”

“Tell me what, Len?”

“Well, she sort of jumped Squiggy.”

“WHAT???”

“Don’t get me wrong. He was flattered. But he knew Carmine would kill him if he ever found out. So he figured it was up to him to save Shirley from herself. So after she tried to trap him in a picture frame and then jumped on the bed and broke it, he ran into the bathroom and locked it till she came to her censuses.”

She stared at him.

“I know, I was pretty shocked myself. But she’s been saving herself all these years and I guess being with Squiggy in a dark, sleazy motel room was just too irresistible.”

“That is the biggest load of crap I ever heard!”

“It is?”

“And you fell for it!”

“Come on, Laverne, something obviously happened between them two, and that explanation makes the most sense.”

Laverne didn’t speak to him for the rest of the trip and when they got to Burbank and she found a pay phone, she was tempted to tell her father the whole sad story, and have him beat up both Lenny and Squiggy. But her father distracted her by saying that he’d put a deposit and first and last month’s rent on a great apartment for her and Shirley and they could pay him back later.

So Lenny drove them to the apartment complex that her father gave directions for. The boys dumped the Beatles stand-up and the rest of the girls’ remaining possessions out onto the lawn and then drove off without saying goodbye. Laverne hoped she’d never see them again.

They were in California and it was time to start a brand new life.


	6. Land

The apartment was wonderful, and not just because it wasn’t in the basement. It was Spanish style and had a little staircase leading up to the bedroom. There was even a garbage disposal!

Pop and Edna came by to greet them and they gave Laverne a guitar. She’d always envied Carmine and Lenny their musical talent. No, she didn’t want to think about Lenny, not now. But the guitar was cool. Laverne planned to learn more than the one chord Edna had taught her.

After her father and stepmother left, the building manager literally dropped by, falling past their window. Sonny St. James was a tall, gorgeous, muscular stuntman, and very nice and friendly, too. Laverne knew she was on the rebound from Lenny, even if they hadn’t officially broken up. But she wasn’t dead, or blind, and it was OK to appreciate male beauty.

Life in California was going to be very different than Milwaukee, in bad ways as well as good. Their first night in the new apartment, there was a terrible earthquake! Laverne was amazed they and the apartment survived, well, they better than the apartment.

When she and Shirley were inspecting the damage the next morning, they were very surprised to see a little door open from under the staircase landing, especially since Lenny and Squiggy emerged from it! It turned out that it led to the boys’ apartment next door. Shirley was horrified and Laverne was stunned. What were the guys thinking, after that rotten road trip? It was bad enough that they hadn’t gone back to Milwaukee, but to move in next door!

It got worse. The guys thought that the rumbling and shaking last night was due to their “prowess.” They were with two women last night! Right in the very next apartment to Laverne. Now she was not only shocked but hurt and angry.

Lenny seemed oblivious to how she felt. He was acting like they were just friends, when she wasn’t even sure they were friends anymore.

After he and Squiggy left, shutting the little door behind them, Laverne and Shirley talked about moving back to Milwaukee. Laverne didn’t know how they’d return when they were broke, but maybe Pop could get the deposit and everything back on this apartment. And it wasn’t like they had jobs lined up out here.

Then Sonny came downstairs to check on them. He really was sweet, even offering to make them breakfast, and he was shirtless. Laverne decided that if Lenny had already moved on, maybe it was time for her to move on, too.

~~~

It was a couple days later that Lenny dropped by, without Squiggy, when Shirley was over at Pop’s, using his phone to make a long-distance call to Carmine.

“Can I talk to you, Laverne?”

“Yeah, OK.” In a way, she still didn’t want to talk to him, but considering it looked like she and Shirley were staying after all, and the boys had signed a three-year lease, maybe she and Lenny should clear the air a little.

“It’s about the other night.”

“Which other night?”

“The one with the earthquake.”

“I thought you said that was you and Squiggy making the earth move for the two girls you picked up.”

He coughed. “Well, um, about that.”

Was he going to explain why it happened? Or maybe it hadn’t happened. Maybe he and Squiggy made it up, to make her jealous, or to prove to Shirley that there were women who would happily go to bed with Squiggy.

She crossed her arms. “Yeah?”

“Well, um, you promise you won’t tell no one?”

“I’m not promising till I know what I’m promising.”

“OK. Well, the thing is, I was in the same room with Squiggy and his date and, um, his prowess ain’t that great.”

“You astound me.”

“I know, but it’s true. So I was thinkin’, I think I know what really happened with him and Shirley in Royal Cactus, Nevada.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I think it was moochable. They wanted each other but he couldn’t preform.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or sneer. “Go on.”

“So they were both embarrassed. She was going to give herself to him and then he couldn’t take her, but she still feels guilty ‘cause of Carmine. And, well, you can see why Squiggy feels bad.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. Was it possible that something like that had happened? Shirley had always insisted she didn’t feel that way about Squiggy, but what if she was kidding herself, like Laverne used to kid herself about Lenny? Laverne was inclined to believe Shirley, but maybe there was a tiny chance that Lenny was right. He could be pretty perceptive about people sometimes.

“Anyways, I don’t think we should let whatever happened between them hurt what’s between us.”

“Oh, what is between us?”

“Well, you know.”

“Len, if you want to get back together, your timing stinks. You cheated on me!”

“We weren’t exactly together at the time.”

“That’s beside the point. Just a couple weeks ago, you made me feel special, bein’ your first, and then you just hop into bed with the first girl that smiles at you in California?”

“It wasn’t like that, Laverne.”

“Well, I don’t care. You’re a free agent. Have fun with the California girls.”

“OK,” he said quietly. She couldn’t tell if he was hurt or angry or guilty or what. “I guess I should take my leavings now.” He turned towards the front door.

She didn’t want him to go, not like this. “Len, wait.”

He turned back to her, with a hopeful look on his face. “Yeah, Laverne?”

“Look, let’s be friends.”

“Just friends?”

“I think it’s better that way.”

“So we’re going back to what we had before?”

She shook her head. “I think it’s too late for that. Too much has happened. But we’ll find a way to be friends and move forward.”

He swallowed and nodded. “Sure, whatever you want, Laverne.” He’d said that to her twice before, six and a half months ago, at the beginning of their romance. Their romance was over now but it wasn’t like they were left with nothing. It would just be a matter of figuring out what their something was.


End file.
